SHOWER BABIES!!!

These sweets.. LOVE TAKING A SHOWER!!! They can be entertained in a shower for a good 30 minutes!  They play nice with each other and just enjoy the water coming from the shower head.  So sometimes we will have the shower as a reward... and both of these kids LOVE IT!!!

Abel is just hanging out...

Halle and Abel making a playdough pie!

Abel's new favorite toy... THE HARMONICA!!!!

Hanging out. Watching a movie. Enjoying a snack. And drinking a juicy. Life does not get much better than this!!! now only if it was sunny outside....

SMOOTHIES

This is Abel's most favorite breakfast... Moms special smoothie!!! He will down half of that cup for sure!!! And best part is that it is full of good and yummy ingredients.  

Big boy!!!

Our sweet Abel continues to grow up!!! Abe has been doing this for a while but I finally got it on camera. After Abe is all done with his sippy he runs over to the sink drops it in and runs away clapping!!! It cracks us up on every occasion!!!

Uncle Nathan came to visit

Halle and Abel anxiously waiting for uncle Nathan to arrive at our house!!! It was a short trip but so fun to see him and spend time with him!!! Cannot wait to see  the whole family in July!!!

Living my life with these cuties is absolutely perfect!!! Would not want it any other way!!!

This little dude has been hard to deal with. Crabby. Crying. No good naps. Just not himself.  It has been hard for all parties involved... But then there is that sweet grin of his... And his little laugh.... and his bubbling personality that show forth for 5 minutes of these long days and I know that it is my Heavenly Father blessing me and letting me see those good glimpses of my sweet little boy. Motherhood is the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my life.... Yet the most rewarding. I thank Heavenly Father daily for blessing me with two... almost three... sweet children! Love them always!

Abel made the news!!!!!

We went to the grand opening of the new Menards store here in Rochester and WE MADE THE NEWSPAPER!!!!!!

Way to be cute Abel.. and do not mind my double chin:)

Family fun day!!!

                  

                       

It was the last day of my spring break and Alan surprised us with taking a day off!!! Yea!! We were too excited to spend a nice day together as a family! We decided to venture off to cabelas for the morning.  The drive there was perfect. Abel took a little cat nap and Halle enjoyed a movie. Once we arrived at cabelas we walked around and looked at all the animals, browsed te bargain cave, rode the pontoon, and looked at all the fishes.  After cabelas we hit up Culvers for lunch and the headed home!! The rest of the day was filled with naps and relaxing!!! Perfect end to my spring break!!!

Halle has been into dressing up lately!!! Today she wanted to be a tiger as we ran some errands... No sweat off my back!!! Love to see her creativity blossoming!!!

hard weeks....

These past couple weeks have been HARD!!!! Abel and Halle were sick with colds.  They went away for about a week and then came back with full vengeance!!!!  They have both been miserable, but Abel especially because he is also cutting 6 new teeth.
Hard on all parties involved.  Abel has been sleeping great at night, but just during the day he is a handful.  Never happy, always wants to be held, and just being hard to manage some days.  I have continued to pray and hope that both babies will start feeling better... and after another failed nap session for Abel I went up and got him from his bed and brought him downstairs to hopefully fall asleep with me for a while.  Well it worked.  Abel snuggled right up to my belly with his arms wrapped around and fell right asleep.  I sat there enjoying the quiet moments of my day and also loving the snuggle session with Abel... but the best part of this whole experience was Noah's reaction.  Noah is normally and mover and a shaker in the late evening time, like before bed, and most days I will feel him here and there, but today was different.... Noah was just punching, and kicking, and moving all around during the snuggle session with Abel.  It made me again feel so so grateful that I get to be a mom... and even in these hard weeks that there are glimpses of joy, happiness, and love.  I have a feeling that Abel and Noah will be the best of friends.
So grateful to be their mom!!!!

my first and hopefully not last

So this is Al.  brittney suggested it might be important that i add to our blog.  considering how it is an "e" journal for OUR family i'll gladly ablige.  i cant really remember some of the finer details of what my life was like before my role as a husband and father.  to be honest, so much goes on now from day to day and minute to minute it'd be impossible to log everything away.

i certainly have been blessed!  a beautiful, loving wife and two/soon to be three perfect, innocent children have made my life the best experience i can fathom.  i have been blessed by our Heavenly Father.  i know that He lives.  i know that Jesus Christ lives and is a Son of our Heavenly Father.  Jesus Christ is our eldest brother.  He died for our sins and most importantly raised himself from death.  Christ did this to make it possible for ALL of us to return from this bittersweet mortal existance to live with Heavenly Father again.

i know that families can be sealed together forever.  i was married for time on this earth and "sealed" for eternity to my lovely wife brittney and to all of our children that we bring into and/or raise in this world.  i hope to live everyday the best that i can.  Heavenly Father doesnt expect perfection today He just wants us to do our best and look for the truth and for the good in this life.  it is SO SO possible.

picnic breakfast

Sometimes we need to mix things up around here.

Picnic breakfasts seem to help the morning be better somedays when we know that we will not be able to go outside.

I can tell you that i am officially ready for spring and nice weather and playing outside all day!!!!

Easter 2014

Happy EASTER!!!! We had a wonderful day remember the Savior and also indulging in some of the commercial aspects of Easter.  Halle and Abel were able to find their easter baskets that the Easter bunny left and they enjoyed all the different things.  Halle got new movies, starbursts jellybeans, ispy bag, and shirts.  She has been watching the Garfield movies all week and just loving them!!!!  Abel got M&Ms, little fan, a play phone, a movie, and a new swimsuit.

We also spent part of the morning dying easter eggs.. Halle LOVED it and Abel wanted nothing to do with it!

Then we got ready for church.  We had stake conference on Easter so we were able to go to church at 10am.  It was AWESOME!!!!  We played peek a bo in the closet and then took some Easter pictures!

Today was a perfect day.  How grateful we are today for time that we were able to spend with family.  Most of all though we are grateful for our Savior.  I know with out a doubt that he does live.  I know that he died for us.  I know that he was resurrected and that because of that we will live with our Heavenly Father again.

28...

That is right... I am 28 years young today!!! Been through a lot these 28 years. Experienced happiness and sadness. Grown up emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally.  But the best thing bout these 28 years is my sweet family and friends... They are all too good to me!!!

Yesterday my dad came over to watch Abel so my mom and I could take Halle to Rio 2.  It was good... Not as funny as the first, but Halle loved it.

Then Saturday... I was surprised to wake up to a waffle feast!!

After the feast I was able to attend a relief society activity... But had to come home early because Alan got called into work.  It was a short call and then I was able to go and get ice cream with Jenna and Kassie... It was real yummy!!  When I returned Alan had set up my present in the garage... It made an umbrella stand for me use this summer while hanging outside all day.. Very thoughtful!! And also had a gift card to hobby lobby!!!

Then Alan had the ultimate surprise.... A date night!!! He found someone to cover the phone and we spent the evening at Chester's. We over indulged... But it was so so good!!!

Then to finish off the birthday weekend my mom made a wonderful Mexican dinner for Sunday!!! It was the most perfect birthday ever!!  Cheers to another great year on this earth!

blessing

For Halle's birthday we were going to buy a big trampoline to put in the back yard.. but lucky for us.. WE GOT A FREE ONE!!!!! from someone that is moving away from Rochester and did not want to bring it along. TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!! we are totally pumped and Halle and Abel LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!  oh and Alan also LOVES it!!!

We are looking forward to the summer.. and LOTS more ice cream cones!

ITS SPRING!!!!!!

You see that... NO MORE SNOW ON THE GROUND!!!!

how great is that?

We are living it up!! Been outside all morning and all afternoon!!!

This spring/summer are going to be splendid with these two busy bodies!!!

lil helper

We went to Hyvee today to get some groceries to prepare a gluten free dinner for a neighbor that just had a baby.  Halle was all about pushing the cart around and putting all the stuff in there.

She was a great helper and even wanted to push the cart out to the car!!! HA!!  I thought that it was hilarious, but the cart guy was not too enthused as he gave me evil looks...

It is so fun watching you grow up Halle!

Spring General Conference

It is one of my most favorite weekends of the year.. General Conference.  We get to stay home, snuggle up together and watch the Prophet and Apostles speak to us!  I love hearing what they have to say and I love the spirit that enters in to our home at this time.  I just feel so happy when I hear conference in our home!  Halle is kind of excited too to watch the Prophet!!!!  We were planning on just staying home and laying low for  the Saturday sessions, but Alan woke up and decided that he really wanted to go to his parents... so we did just that!  and it was a blast.  We were able to watch both sessions, enjoy being outside, i got my hair highlighted, and then we even hit up wok and roll for dinner!  For Sunday we had breakfast over at Grammie's house and then watched part of the first session there.  Then we headed home for naps and then watched the second session at home.  It was perfect.  There was tons of things that I am looking forward to re-reading and studying from the conference.  But the main thing that I took away from the conference is that I am a child of God.  That I am good enough, and that He loves me.  I know that as long as I am striving to do good that He will watch out for me and my family and bless us.  I know that life is not always easy, but that it is necessary to go through the hard times so that we can enjoy those blessed/good times.  Heavenly Father is very aware of us and our situations.... I am so grateful to have this knowledge and to live the Gospel.  

here is Abel hanging out/playing during one of the sessions

will the winter ever be over?!?!

This morning we woke up with some more snow on the ground.

I am seriously looking forward to a snow free yard, driveway, roof, deck, everything...

This has seriously been the worst/longest winter of my life here in good ol' Minnesota.

Abel whines at the door everyday wanting to go out.

And Halle asks to go out everyday.

I am ready for some nice spring weather.. but until then we will put our snow gear on and enjoy THE GARAGE!!!!

Love these two with all my heart.  Their relationship continues to amaze me.  I can honestly tell the love that each of them has for each other.  Not saying that they are always nice to each other, but there is love there!  Abel just thinks the world of Halle and wants to do anything and everything that she does.  He also finds her pretty hilarious....  and Halle she loves being the BIG sister!  She loves interacting with Abel and doing naughty things with her!!!!  she is a great big sister!  It is one of the most amazing things that I have been able to witness is watching them grow up together and interact with each other.  Makes my heart melt.

LOVE YOU TWO!!!! and can not wait to add another soon!

halle...

...you have made my world a better place.  You have helped me understand patience in ways I never thought I would understand.  You have helped me to become selfless. You have helped me understand unconditional love.  You have helped me to let go of fears and judgments.  You have helped me to understand to enjoy every second of the day.  You are one special gal.  I love you more than life itself.  Thank you for loving me as your mom... and even though some days might be difficult and long... they are so blessed because I get to be your mom.  This was one of those long days and it was great to be able to snuggle up with you at the end of it and watch your favorite movie (of the moment) Frozen. Love you... always remember that!